subject: The New Housing Economymaking Financial Assets Into Homes [print this page] How many times have you moved? How many times have you moved?
We have moved 8 times from one corporate job to the next until we just said, STOP! 14 years ago.
The corporation involved wasnt the nicest bunch of people. The ambition to be like them just was not there. You do tend to have to adopt your employers values to get all the way to the top, which can be problematic if their values are different from yours.
But that was just part of the problem.
We also didnt want to move any more.
What we really wanted was a permanent home, a real home in our favorite location in the whole country.
As corporate employees we kept buying bigger and bigger houses throughout the years until it was ridiculous. Why do 2 people and 2 pets need a huge house?
We wanted a smaller place that was greener and more our taste. We did not want to be constantly thinking about resale.
So we got off the real estate merry go round and got a small house that is just right.
We do what ever we want to it without worrying about resale. We dont plan to invest in granite counter tops, which we dont like and dont want to purchase. Our appliances are white, as are our plumbing fixtures.
A lot of our remodeling dollars are aimed at what we will need as we get older like accessible baths. We plan to install wall-to-wall carpet over our slate and solid oak floors.
We also have plans to increase our insulation and install a whole house fan.
Notice our choices are very personal, not what so-called experts say we have to have for resale.
That is what every HOME has. It has what ever YOU want for your personal comfort. Its comfortable for you and your loved ones, not just a financial investment.
You can pick any color paint YOU like. Everything can be just what you want, not what the resale experts say you have to do
Houses have been a disappointment as investments for most people. We bought our house 14 years ago. We missed the big run up in prices, too, not that we care. In our location, which is very remote, resale can take years. No one is going to snap up a house unless they really want to be here and nowhere else. Housing prices are cheap compared to most locations especially the ones like California and New York City.
Any one can do what we have done. You can stay in one place, make a life for yourself and pay off your mortgage as fast as you can.
Not having to pay a mortgage payment forever will free up your money for other investments like starting a business, opening a savings account or educating your children.
We chose a house that is energy efficient. It has enough room for parents to move in or kids to move back home. It has some handicapped accessible space, too.
It works well in many ways. A home and a fixed location are what we treasure far more than we did corporate life. Best of all we never have to pay a real estate commission or closing costs again.
